Methods of making hydraulic fracturing fluids and use thereof

Abstract

Methods of preparing a crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid include combining a hydraulic fracturing fluid comprising a polyacrylamide polymer with a plurality of coated proppants. The plurality of coated proppants include a proppant particle and a resin proppant coating on the proppant particle. The resin proppant coating includes resin and a zirconium oxide crosslinker. The resin includes at least one of phenol, furan, epoxy, urethane, phenol-formaldehyde, polyester, vinyl ester, and urea aldehyde. Methods further include allowing the zirconium oxide crosslinker within the resin proppant coating to crosslink the polyacrylamide polymer within the hydraulic fracturing fluid at a pH of at least 10, thereby forming the crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of preparing a crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid comprising:
 combining a hydraulic fracturing fluid comprising a polyacrylamide polymer with a plurality of coated proppants wherein:
 the plurality of coated proppants comprise a proppant particle and a resin proppant coating on the proppant particle, the resin proppant coating consists of resin, a zirconium oxide crosslinker, a curing agent and water, wherein the resin comprises at least one of phenol, furan, epoxy, urethane, phenol-formaldehyde, polyester, vinyl ester, and urea aldehyde; and 
 
 allowing the zirconium oxide crosslinker within the resin proppant coating to crosslink the polyacrylamide polymer within the hydraulic fracturing fluid at a pH of at least 9, thereby forming the crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein allowing the zirconium oxide crosslinker to crosslink the polyacrylamide polymer bonds the plurality of coated proppants to the crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein allowing the zirconium oxide crosslinker to crosslink the polyacrylamide polymer increases the viscosity of the crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid as compared to the hydraulic fracturing fluid. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising adding a pH adjuster to the hydraulic fracturing fluid to increase the pH. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the pH adjuster comprises NaOH, KOH, RbOH, NH 3 , or combinations thereof. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 4 , wherein allowing the zirconium oxide crosslinker to crosslink the polyacrylamide polymer comprises increasing the pH of the hydraulic fracturing fluid from 8. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the resin comprises epoxy. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coated proppant comprises from 1 to 10 wt. % resin proppant coating as calculated by a weight of the proppant particles. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coated proppant comprises from 0.1 to 20 wt. % zirconium oxide crosslinker as calculated by a weight of the resin proppant coating. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polyacrylamide polymer comprises monomers selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, tert-butyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methyl acrylamide, N-propyl acrylamide, N-butyl acrylamide, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide, N-methyl-N-sec-butyl acrylamide, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic fracturing fluid comprises an aqueous fluid selected from the group consisting of fresh water, salt water, brine, municipal water, formation water, produced water, well water, filtered water, distilled water, sea water, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic fracturing fluid further comprises biocides, breakers, dilute acids, corrosion inhibitors, buffers, stabilizers, diverting agents, fluid loss additives, friction reducers, iron controllers, surfactants, gel stabilizers, viscosifiers, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 forming the resin proppant coating by mixing resin with the zirconium oxide crosslinker; 
 heating the proppant particles up to from 10° C. to 250° C. before coating the proppant particles; and 
 coating the proppant particles with the resin proppant coating to produce the coated proppants. 
 
     
     
       14. A method for increasing a rate of hydrocarbon production from a subsurface formation, the method comprising:
 producing a first rate of production of hydrocarbons from the subsurface formation through a wellbore; 
 introducing the crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid of  claim 1  into the subsurface formation; and 
 increasing hydrocarbon production from the subsurface formation by producing a second rate of production of hydrocarbons from the subsurface formation, wherein the second rate of production of hydrocarbons is greater than the first rate of production of hydrocarbons. 
 
     
     
       15. A method of hydraulic fracturing a subsurface formation, the method comprising:
 introducing the crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid of  claim 1  into the subsurface formation; and 
 allowing hydraulic fracturing with the crosslinked hydraulic fracturing fluid to occur in the subsurface formation to extract hydrocarbons from the subsurface formation.